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Cal Opens 2022-23 Season Against UC Davis

by calbears.com
Nov 5, 2022
Sam Alajiki and the Golden Bears tip off their 2022-23 season against UC Davis at home on Monday night.

BERKELEY – The 2022-23 California men's basketball season gets officially underway when the Golden Bears host UC Davis on Monday night at Haas Pavilion.
 
Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Network with Roxy Bernstein and Ben Braun on the call.
 
Fans got their first glimpse of the Bears on Wednesday when they defeated Chico State 62-55 in an exhibition contest in Berkeley. The focus now shifts to a season-opening tilt with a UC Davis squad that Cal has had longstanding success against, but has only faced once since head coach Mark Fox's first season at the program's helm in 2019-20. Cal earned a 72-66 victory against the Aggies on Nov. 26, 2019 in the early stages of Fox's Cal tenure.
 
GAME INFORMATION

  • Date & Time: Monday, Nov. 7 | 8 p.m. PT
  • Location: Berkeley, Calif. | Haas Pavilion
  • Watch: Pac-12 Network | Roxy Bernstein (PxP) & Ben Braun (Analyst)
  • Listen: 810 AM & The Varsity App | Rich Cellini (PxP)
  • Live Stats: StatBroadcast

 
NOTEWORTHY

  • Cal is 33-0 all-time against UC Davis dating back to the first meeting between the UC System schools in 1917-18. The past 19 head-to-head clashes have been played in Berkeley, but the two programs have clashed just three times in the 21st century. Cal's 72-66 win against the Aggies on Nov. 26, 2019 featured three current Golden Bear seniors – Joel Brown, Kuany Kuany and Lars Thiemann – all of whom were freshmen at the time.
  • Mark Fox is 3-0 in his career against UC Davis. His first two wins against the Aggies came with Nevada in 2004 and 2005, followed by the win with Cal in 2019.
  • Cal's 15-man roster features nine players who measure at 6-foot-7 or taller, signaling an improved amount of length and athleticism.
  • The Bears expect to be deeper and more balanced this season, as 11 players saw the floor during the exhibition win against Chico State on Nov. 2. Cal's four scholarship newcomers were particularly involved in the preseason tune-up; junior transfer Devin Askew and freshman ND Okafor scored a game-high 11 points apiece while freshman Grant Newell and graduate transfer DeJuan Clayton played 14 and 15 minutes, respectively.
  • Other noteworthy efforts by the Bears against Chico State included a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double by Thiemann, nine points scored by Sam Alajiki and a well-rounded performance from Marsalis Roberson, who totaled 10 points (6-6 free throws), eight rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.
  • Cal plays four of its first six games inside Haas Pavilion, including back-to-back home contests this week against UC Davis and Kansas State (Nov. 11). The Bears were 10-8 at home last year – including nine straight wins from Nov. 15-Jan. 2 – and are 275-114 overall as they enter their 23th season playing at Haas Pavilion.
  • Cal is 17-3 in nonconference home games under Mark Fox.
  • Junior guard Jalen Celestine, Cal's top returning scorer (7.5 PPG in 2021-22) is inactive for Monday's season opener as he works his way back to full speed following an offseason knee procedure. A timetable for Celestine's return has not yet been determined.

 
UP NEXT
Cal hosts Kansas State at 4 p.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 11 at Haas Pavilion. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.
 
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal men's basketball, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalMBBall), Instagram (@CalMBBball) and Facebook (/CalMBBall/).

 

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